Page 54 of Lords of the Campus

Her pout turns into a sour look and she curls her lip. “Lyric,” she scoffs. “If you knew what she was hiding, you wouldn’t be so quick to jump back into bed with her.”

“What?” I ask, my stomach bottoming out. “She’s hiding something?”

Madison glances around and then grabs my arm, dragging me away from the party to a private corner upstairs.

“I told her she needed to tell you guys the truth,” she says quietly, remorse on her face. “I thought she would have done it by now.”

“The truth?” I ask, my ears still ringing from the loud music. “What truth?”

She sighs, looking down at the ground before turning her chin up, her watery eyes meeting mine. “Has Lyric told you anything about Eli’s father?” she asks.

“She’s only said it’s a painful topic and that she doesn’t want to talk about it. Why?” I ask, suddenly afraid of what I’m about to find out.

“She’s been lying to you, then,” Madison murmurs. “Eli’s biological father is Archer, which means since the four of you were in some kind of poly relationship, which means that Eli is your son too, right?”

My heart freezes in my chest, anxiety rising. “Are you serious?” I ask, my voice cracking. “You’re sure about this?”

“Lyric told me herself,” Madison says with a shrug. “I wanted her to do the right thing, but she wouldn’t do it. But you guys deserve to know.”

It feels like the world fuzzes out around me as I process the news. Eli is our son. And Lyric lied to us. Again.

31

ZANE

The party is in full swing now and the house is alive with energy. Music thumps through the speakers, the bass shaking the floor beneath our feet. Archer and I are in the thick of it, surrounded by our brothers and fellow students, celebrating our victory. I’ve got a drink in my hand and we’re laughing at some joke someone just made when I notice Levi pushing his way through the crowd, a stormy expression on his face.

“Hey, man, what’s up?” I shout over the music as he reaches us.

“We need to talk,” Levi says, his voice tense. He doesn’t wait for a response, grabbing my arm and jerking his head toward Archer. “Both of you.”

Archer and I exchange a look, the good mood slipping away as we follow Levi through the throng of people. We head upstairs, the noise from the party fading slightly as we close the door behind us in one of the bedrooms. Levi’s agitation is palpable and I can feel my anxiety starting to rise.

“What’s going on?” Archer asks. His voice is serious now.

Levi takes a deep breath, running a hand through his hair. “I just ran into Madison.”

“What did she want?” I ask, not hiding my annoyance. Madison always brings trouble.

“She told me something… something big.” Levi’s eyes are intense as he looks between us. “She said Eli is our son.”

The words hang in the air, heavy and shocking. I feel like the ground has dropped out from under me. “What?” I manage to say, my mind racing.

“She said Lyric’s been hiding it from us. That Eli is our kid,” Levi repeats, his voice tight with a mix of anger and confusion.

Archer looks as stunned as I feel. “Madison said that? How does she know?”

Levi rubs his hand over his face. “Madison said Lyric told her.”

I slump onto the bed, trying to process what Levi just told us. “Why would Lyric keep something like this from us?”

Archer is pacing now, his fists clenched at his sides. “We need to talk to her, find out if it’s true.”

Levi nods. “Yeah, we need answers. How could she lie to us again?” His voice cracks, and I see the emotions in his eyes. He’s always been more sensitive than me and Archer, so he must be so torn up that he could let Lyric get close again, only to find out that she’s been harboring more lies.

My own head is a mix of anger, confusion, fear, and frustration.

As we stand there, the noise of the party still faintly audible in the background, I realize just how much is at stake. Our lives are about to be turned upside down and the only way to move forward is to confront Lyric and get to the bottom of this.

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